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Well, I guess this pile of parts means I really am starting another build. I’ve kind of been in denial up to this point ;)
This started because my mother-in-law got a new PC (so technically this is her fault
 ). I noticed her old one had 7.1 sound, so I took it and have been slowly forming a loose plan.The concept for this one is a small cabinet that can sit on a table or bar.
Mostly this is to make use of the 22″ 16:10 monitor she had.
Final size will be something like 24″ x 24″x12″. It’ll be 2 screen with dmd integrated in the backglass. I plan to have a minimal SSF setup for feedback, a plunger, and always-on lighted buttons.
This will be my second build. My first was a budget friendly ($500) full size cab. More here:Â https://vpinball.com/forums/topic/500-full-size-cab-can-it-be-done-lets-find-out/
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Here’s the basic shape I’m imagining for the side profile. The playfield monitor will sit flush with the top of the cab, with no glass. I realize this poses a bit of a risk, but since it’s a bartop unit, I think the risk of screen damage, of someone putting a glass or bottle on the playfield, etc. is fairly minimal. The backglass monitor will be angled back slightly to improve the viewing angle.
The goal of my first build was to lower the bar for people wanting to get into this hobby and show that you didn’t need to invest thousands of dollars to get into virtual pinball. So, for that build, I meticulously documented my budget. I won’t do that this time, but I will share how much I’m spending on most of the major components.
I’m hoping this will have a relatively modest budget, but I’ve seen plenty of great, affordable bartop build threads and I don’t think I’m doing anything unique in that regard. I’m committed to including analog nudge, SSF, and a real plunger. So if anything, I expect this to cost a little more than most budget mini-cab builds, especially the ones that, like mine, start out with a free PC.
Here’s a start on my expenses so far:
- Computer: $Free Dell Inspiron 570 (Athlon II x4, 8GB RAM)
- Playfield: $Free Dell 22″ 16:10 monitor
- Backglass: $15 used 4:3 19″ monitor in portrait orientation (Craigslist)
- GPU: $25 used MSI ATI Radeon HD 7790 (ebay)
- Plunger: $20 (ebay)
- Slide Pot: $7 linear 10k ohm 90mm (ebay)
- 7 led arcade buttons: $12 (ebay)
- KL25Z – $22 (digi-key)
- Amps: $10 2 x 10w PAM8610 audio boards (Amazon)
- Speakers: $Free I’m reusing the speakers I cut out of the LCD I used for my full-size playfield
- Exciters: $10 2 x Dayton DAEX25 (Amazon)
- Plywood: $20 4’x4′ 1/2″ ply (Lowes)
Total: $141
What’s missing:
Leaf switches for the flipper buttons – I know arcade buttons aren’t great for pinball. I have leaf switches on my full-size cab and I may upgrade this later. We’ll see.
Graphics – I’d love to do full color vinyl for this. But I think that’ll cost more than the entire rest of the project. So I’m probably going to paint and stencil it.
Subwoofer – A “nice to have” but not necessary, especially in a small build like this.
2 More Exciters – A typical SSF setup uses 4 exciters. This is a small cabinet and I think I can get away with just two. We’re a lot better at interpreting stereo sound than we are front/back. On my full-size cab, I initially had my front/rear exciters wired backwards. It took me a surprisingly long time to notice. So I think left/right exciters will get the job done for a minimal SSF setup in a small cabinet like this.
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Awesome. I really enjoyed your budget build thread, it was a big part of what made me start my own build. I’m making videos of my build and putting them on YouTube – I’ll make a separate post so I don’t hijack yours. But what you were saying about it being a table top chimed with what I was intending to do with mine. Even though I was building in a slightly larger case (27″ playfield) I have to on the idea of making it a table top. I just couldn’t see how I was going to fit everything inside, especially on my first go at a pinball.
Really intrigued to see if you manage it!
Good luck!
All things ZZleeZZ
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Awesome. I really enjoyed your budget build thread, it was a big part of what made me start my own build. I’m making videos of my build and putting them on YouTube – I’ll make a separate post so I don’t hijack yours. But what you were saying about it being a table top chimed with what I was intending to do with mine. Even though I was building in a slightly larger case (27″ playfield) I have to on the idea of making it a table top. I just couldn’t see how I was going to fit everything inside, especially on my first go at a pinball.
Really intrigued to see if you manage it!
Good luck!
Do you have a build thread? Go ahead and share a link to your channel here. I’d love to see your bar top build for some inspiration.
Fitting everything inside will be a little tricky, but I think it’ll be manageable. I’ll have to remove the PC from the case and support the graphics card somehow. But I don’t think it’ll be too difficult. Here’s one possibility.
I didn’t include the audio amps because they are just two very small circuit boards. I’m planning to mount them behind the backglass with the volume knobs poking out the back panel for easy sound adjustment. But I think everything else is there. The PSU is the only piece I’m worried about. To lay it out like this I’d have to be sure the whole thing is tall enough for the flipper buttons to clear it. I guess I could also swap it with the pinscape if I had to.
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I could use some inspiration when it comes to how to lock the playfield monitor in place. Adding something like a normal lock bar (even one made of wood) will add several inches to the length of the cab. So I want to keep things pretty minimal, but also don’t want the playfield falling out during normal moving of the cab.
Got any suggestions?
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Awesome. I really enjoyed your budget build thread, it was a big part of what made me start my own build. I’m making videos of my build and putting them on YouTube – I’ll make a separate post so I don’t hijack yours. But what you were saying about it being a table top chimed with what I was intending to do with mine. Even though I was building in a slightly larger case (27″ playfield) I have to on the idea of making it a table top. I just couldn’t see how I was going to fit everything inside, especially on my first go at a pinball.
Really intrigued to see if you manage it!
Good luck!
Do you have a build thread? Go ahead and share a link to your channel here. I’d love to see your bar top build for some inspiration.
Fitting everything inside will be a little tricky, but I think it’ll be manageable. I’ll have to remove the PC from the case and support the graphics card somehow. But I don’t think it’ll be too difficult. Here’s one possibility.
I didn’t include the audio amps because they are just two very small circuit boards. I’m planning to mount them behind the backglass with the volume knobs poking out the back panel for easy sound adjustment. But I think everything else is there. The PSU is the only piece I’m worried about. To lay it out like this I’d have to be sure the whole thing is tall enough for the flipper buttons to clear it. I guess I could also swap it with the pinscape if I had to.
I decided not to go the bartop route in the end. I just couldn’t get my head around how it was all going to fit together, I might revisit it on a future build after I have stripmined your thread for all the information ;)
Here’s my build so far. https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLXlzLUL8ziTg9CrHM7ygN7-oqNUX5aQEz
I’m trying to put up episodes every week. Be warned – it is not a guide or tutorial! I’m learning as I go and all my mistakes are included. :)
All things ZZleeZZ
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Well, it doesn’t look like much, but it’s a start.
Despite my previous confidence about fitting everything in being a piece of cake, it turned out to be much harder than I thought.
I revised my design over and over and still wasn’t confident it was going to fit. So I decided to take a hands on approach. The only things I know for sure are it’s going to be 12″ wide to match my screens and that I don’t want it longer than 26″. So I made a box.
I’m going to position all the elements and then shape the profile around it.
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Well, it’s going to be tight, but IÂ think it’s all going to fit.
I am still a little worried about cable management and ventilation. There’s very little room to spare in there. I’m worried about a loose cable hitting the CPU or GPU fan. But I’m hopeful I can keep them out of the way.
Here’s an approximation of what I think my new profile is going to be.
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Here’s my plunger solution. $20 for the plunger, $7 for the slider. Plus some scrap wood and a piece of 1/2″ pvc pipe.
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Coming along nicely!
I bought that same plunger. I found the spring a bit heavy so I took it off and chopped it down. I think I took too much off, now when you release it there is a lot of rebounding as the back spring is still very heavy and the inside one now cant dampen it.
I designed and 3d printed a bracket for mine. Not had a chance to test it yet though so no idea if it will work!
All things ZZleeZZ
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Made some more sawdust today. This is coming together nicely.
First, I rough cut one side with a scroll saw. Then used rasps and sandpaper to make sure the lines were straight and the curves fluid.
I then rough cut the other side, making sure it was about 1/8″ larger than the first side. Next, I taped the two together with some double sided carpet tape, clamped everything down and used a trim router with a template bit (and the first side as my template) to make sure they’re identical.
Nothing special here and that’s part of what I want to show. I don’t have a wood shop or a routing table. I’m working on an old folding Craftsman workhorse outside my basement, using a cheap trim router from Harbor Freight. I inherited my handheld Craftsman scroll saw and the folding work table from my father-in-law. Both were already well used when he passed away 23 years ago. You don’t need amazing carpentry skills, a C-n-C router, or a lot of tools to build a pinball cabinet. If I can do it, literally anyone can do it.
And here it is with the screens in place. I double checked the motherboard/gpu and power supply to make sure everything still fits. It all looks really good.
I haven’t finalized the shape of the front of the cabinet. There will not be a lockbar or apron on this, so I wanted to get the monitors in there and see exactly where the playfield ends. Those sharp corners where your hands go will get rounded off.
The same goes for the back. I’d ideally like to angle the back for aesthetic reasons. But I have to be sure everything fits first. Fortunately, I’m using pocket screws for my joinery. So it’s easy to take it apart, trim something and put it back together.
BTW, if you haven’t discovered Kreg pocket screws yet, do yourself a favor and give them a shot. I’m a pretty crappy carpenter and just about any other kind of joinery is beyond me. Pocket screws are like magic for the unskilled carpenter.
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edit: removed duplicate post.
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Coming along nicely!
I bought that same plunger. I found the spring a bit heavy so I took it off and chopped it down. I think I took too much off, now when you release it there is a lot of rebounding as the back spring is still very heavy and the inside one now cant dampen it.
I was thinking of doing the same thing. The spring is quite stiff. How much did you cut off? And how much do you wish you’d done instead?
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Saturday progress.
Plenty of space in the front. But the 4 pin motherboard power cable won’t reach. So I need to extend it.
Things are a little tight in the back. I modified the PSU so the cables come out what was the top. This means I can stand the PSU up so it takes up less floor space and reduces the cable clutter.
To the left is my 12v supply for the audio amp boards. It’s taking up more space than it needs to. It’s what I have on hand, but I may replace it with a more compact wall wart sort of 12v supply.
Still to come: sound (including SSF), ventilation, graphics (including a marquee, I hope).
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I always underestimate how much time wiring takes. The left and right harnesses are built, but I haven’t terminated anything on the Pinscape end yet.
Here’s where things almost went horribly wrong.
I forgot to account for the wiring when positioning the plunger. It just barely clears. I’ll replace the washers on my plunger assembly with something with a smaller outside diameter.
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Wow. You really get a move on dont you?!
Keep it up!
All things ZZleeZZ
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Wow. You really get a move on dont you?!
Keep it up!
Ha!! I feel like this taking foreeeeeever.
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We have pinball!
Next up is sound, including SSF.
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Sound and simple SSF added! I was curious how well a two exciter SSF setup would work and, at least in a small cab, the answer is quite well.
I used a Y cable to merge the rear and side outputs from my sound card. So the rear and side outputs all get routed to these two exciters.
There’s obviously no front/back action happening, but the fact that the table sounds are coming from the table and in stereo is enough to create the illusion.
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I don’t have anything exciting to show for it, but I did do quite a bit of work on this project this weekend. I put an intake fan in the floor near the front, and began to work on the back panel which will hold a large exhaust fan, IEC power outlet, the PC start button, and a couple of USB ports. It doesn’t sound like a lot, but given how tightly packed everything is, it’s taking longer than it normally would. I have to be sure everything is in just the right place and won’t interfere with anything else. That work isn’t quite done, but I’ll post some pics once there’s something worth showing.
But I wouldn’t be bothering with an update just for that. I also finished and ordered my artwork. I’ve known I wanted to do a Mandalorian theme for this from the beginning. But I wasn’t sure if I was going to do paint and stencils or vinyl. I finally decided on vinyl. Here’s the right and left sides.
I’m hoping to make the cabinet a gift for my brother-in-law and his family. This is my brother-in-law. I think you’ll understand why I chose this theme.
I’ve not done vinyl on anything before. If you have, maybe you can answer some questions for me.
The biggest one is what to paint the wood with before applying the vinyl. I don’t have side rails, so you’re going to see some of the exposed wood. I’m OK with that, but I obviously want the wood painted. Is rattle can spray paint OK to go under the vinyl? Once painted, should I sand the paint before applying the vinyl?
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